The 'Beach Loft' by TYPE-D Living
Designed by Damon Snider (TYPE-D Living, @damonsnider_).
Located in The Beaches, Toronto, Canada.
Photos by Cole Neophytou (@amazingcolej).
Description by Damon Snider.
Year: 2020.
Area: 120 m² (1300 ft²).
Located in The Beaches, Toronto, Canada.
Photos by Cole Neophytou (@amazingcolej).
Description by Damon Snider.
Year: 2020.
Area: 120 m² (1300 ft²).
WHO
I purchased this loft in February of 2020 with the intention of living in it after renovations. With all my personal renos, I tend to wear almost every hat and do not only all the design work, but a lot of the construction and all of the custom finished wood and metal fabrication involved to bring my interior design vision to life.
I purchased this loft in February of 2020 with the intention of living in it after renovations. With all my personal renos, I tend to wear almost every hat and do not only all the design work, but a lot of the construction and all of the custom finished wood and metal fabrication involved to bring my interior design vision to life.
WHY
I built this property as my primary residence and intend on using it as an income property after I live in it for a couple of years. The goal was to create a sleek luxury hotel type vibe with minimal clutter and very low maintenance.
I built this property as my primary residence and intend on using it as an income property after I live in it for a couple of years. The goal was to create a sleek luxury hotel type vibe with minimal clutter and very low maintenance.
WHEN
I took possession of this loft on February 6th 2020 and it took approximately 4 months to completely gut the space, add all new finishes, a brand new custom kitchen, and a new 242 sq/ft mezzanine with an adjoining steel grating bridge to the existing bedroom.
I took possession of this loft on February 6th 2020 and it took approximately 4 months to completely gut the space, add all new finishes, a brand new custom kitchen, and a new 242 sq/ft mezzanine with an adjoining steel grating bridge to the existing bedroom.
WHERE
The loft is located in an area of Toronto, Canada called The Beaches, hence the project name “The Beach Loft”. This area of the city is rightfully named, as it literally has miles of beach front on Lake Ontario. My house is one block away from the water, where I walk my dog every day on the board walk and enjoy the close proximity to water.
The loft is located in an area of Toronto, Canada called The Beaches, hence the project name “The Beach Loft”. This area of the city is rightfully named, as it literally has miles of beach front on Lake Ontario. My house is one block away from the water, where I walk my dog every day on the board walk and enjoy the close proximity to water.
WHAT
The whole project went very smoothly given the fact that I started it right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The only difficulty was organizing trades to come in at separate times to do work, and getting construction materials on site due to the fact that Home Depot at the time was only doing curb side pick-up.
The whole project went very smoothly given the fact that I started it right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The only difficulty was organizing trades to come in at separate times to do work, and getting construction materials on site due to the fact that Home Depot at the time was only doing curb side pick-up.
HOW
One major challenge with the project was that my unit is located on the third floor of a low rise building, with no service elevator and only a narrow staircase to get up and down. Fortunately I have a large terrace that overlooks a laneway behind the building, so I coordinated a crane to lift all my construction debris off the terrace, and all my lumber and finishing material up. This saved lots of time and backbreaking labor, but of course there were still times when I had to carry material and fixtures up the stairs… a 300lbs old boiler room door included.
One major challenge with the project was that my unit is located on the third floor of a low rise building, with no service elevator and only a narrow staircase to get up and down. Fortunately I have a large terrace that overlooks a laneway behind the building, so I coordinated a crane to lift all my construction debris off the terrace, and all my lumber and finishing material up. This saved lots of time and backbreaking labor, but of course there were still times when I had to carry material and fixtures up the stairs… a 300lbs old boiler room door included.
Summary
The project was all-in-all a great experience. I have built many houses and many restaurants so there were no real surprises. This was the first renovation that I’ve done inside a condo but I was able to adapt to the work time restrictions and inconvenience of not having direct ground access to the space. I really had fun designing and building this beach loft, and was able to incorporate inspiration from many of my favourite travel destinations including New York, California, and Mexico.
The project was all-in-all a great experience. I have built many houses and many restaurants so there were no real surprises. This was the first renovation that I’ve done inside a condo but I was able to adapt to the work time restrictions and inconvenience of not having direct ground access to the space. I really had fun designing and building this beach loft, and was able to incorporate inspiration from many of my favourite travel destinations including New York, California, and Mexico.
"The details are not the details. They make the design." — Charles Eames.